About the book
‘Britain’s best philosopher – he knocks it out of the park with a book that details the unravelling of the Western order’ Telegraph, Books of the Year
Ever since its publication in 1651, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan has unsettled and challenged how we understand the world. Condemned and vilified by each new generation, Hobbes' cold political vision continues to see through any number of political and ethical vanities.
In his wonderfully stimulating book The New Leviathans, John Gray allows us to understand the world of the 2020s with all its contradictions, moral horrors and disappointments through a new reading of Hobbes' classic work. The collapse of the USSR ushered in an era of near-apoplectic triumphalism in the West: a genuine belief that a rational, liberal, well-managed future now awaited humankind and that tyranny, nationalism and unreason lay in the past. Since then, so many terrible events have occurred and so many poisonous ideas flourished, and yet still our liberal certainties treat them as aberrations which will somehow dissolve away. Hobbes would not be so confident.
Filled with fascinating and challenging perceptions, The New Leviathans is a powerful meditation on historical and current folly. As a species we always seem to be struggling to face the reality of base and delusive human instincts. Might a more self-aware, realistic and disabused ethics help us all?
Editions of New Leviathans
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780241554951
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780141999432
- EBook
- ISBN 9780141999449
Read an Excerpt
‘Britain’s best philosopher – he knocks it out of the park with a book that details the unravelling of the Western order’ Telegraph, Books of the Year
Ever since its publication in 1651, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan has unsettled and challenged how we understand the world. Condemned and vilified by each new generation, Hobbes' cold political vision continues to see through any number of political and ethical vanities.
In his wonderfully stimulating book The New Leviathans, John Gray allows us to understand the world of the 2020s with all its contradictions, moral horrors and disappointments through a new reading of Hobbes' classic work. The collapse of the USSR ushered in an era of near-apoplectic triumphalism in the West: a genuine belief that a rational, liberal, well-managed future now awaited humankind and that tyranny, nationalism and unreason lay in the past. Since then, so many terrible events have occurred and so many poisonous ideas flourished, and yet still our liberal certainties treat them as aberrations which will somehow dissolve away. Hobbes would not be so confident.
Filled with fascinating and challenging perceptions, The New Leviathans is a powerful meditation on historical and current folly. As a species we always seem to be struggling to face the reality of base and delusive human instincts. Might a more self-aware, realistic and disabused ethics help us all?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is New Leviathans about?
‘Britain’s best philosopher – he knocks it out of the park with a book that details the unravelling of the Western order’ Telegraph, Books of the Year
Ever since its publication in 1651, Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan has unsettled and challenged how we understand the world. Condemned and vilified by each new generation, Hobbes' cold political vision continues to see through any number of political and ethical vanities.
In his wonderfully stimulating book The New Leviathans, John Gray allows us to understand the world of the 2020s with all its contradictions, moral horrors and disappointments through a new reading of Hobbes' classic work. The collapse of the USSR ushered in an era of near-apoplectic triumphalism in the West: a genuine belief that a rational, liberal, well-managed future now awaited humankind and that tyranny, nationalism and unreason lay in the past. Since then, so many terrible events have occurred and so many poisonous ideas flourished, and yet still our liberal certainties treat them as aberrations which will somehow dissolve away. Hobbes would not be so confident.
Filled with fascinating and challenging perceptions, The New Leviathans is a powerful meditation on historical and current folly. As a species we always seem to be struggling to face the reality of base and delusive human instincts. Might a more self-aware, realistic and disabused ethics help us all?
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in New Leviathans?
Philosophy and Religion > Philosophy > Philosophical traditions and schools of thought > Western philosophy from c 1800
Where can I read a sample of New Leviathans?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780241554951
Who is/are the Author/s of the book New Leviathans?
John Gray
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
New Leviathans is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780241554951) and paperback(ISBN 9780141999432) and ebook(ISBN 9780141999449)
Where can I buy New Leviathans online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy New Leviathans from below
Where can I buy New Leviathans?